Need help for pain comfort.

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Fidget

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
3,339
Location
Victoria BC
Wanda has had periodic vaginal bleeding since she came. When I took her out of the travel cage the day she came I thought she had diarrhea cause it was brown and smelled horrible. I found later it was vaginal. She's older and had already had tumors removed and she came her to spend her last days in comfort but I tried baytril anyway. It cleared up. She had another brown stinky episode since that cleared up with baytril.
Than another bleeding but not so smelly and she's been on baytril for 10 days when yesterday she was bleeding again, but it seemed like a lot and it was red not brown and no smell. I took her to the vet. Without testing he couldn't say what's wrong from urinary infection to tumors..
He added Novo-Trimel to her baytril to start at test A. She was fine
afterwards as she always has been until a while ago.
Keep in mind all this has been since April 17.

She came out of her house today and it's fresh blood again and she is running around like normal but then having a laydown. NOt acting normal. She's obviously feeling some pain.

What can I do for her to ease her pain?

A rush to the vets is not the answer, I'm not going to do that. I was drained by vet bills in the last 6 months and only took Wanda because she was at the point where we expected not much would benefit her but love & care. That I can do. I spent $99 yesterday, and I don't care about that, I had to do that for my own comfort, but I can't take her to my regular vet now and do xrays and ultrasounds.....I'm expecting this is a gradually terminal cancer (which the vet yesterday seemed to acknowledge without commintting to it) and it's at the point I should consider pain meds.
Got I wish I'd thought of that at the vets yesterday.

I've never had to treat pain in a rattie. What can I do for her?
 
It is possible that she may need an emergency spay.

You might want to consult with Debbie D. in California (1 530 899 0605) or ask your vet to consult with Jorats very experienced rat vet (see vet section for contact info.).

My vet has given me metacam for my ratties for pain after surgery (dose 0.25 mg/Ib twice daily according to Debbie Ducommun's Rat Health Care Booklet, p. 22, tho my vet usually just tells me to give them one drop every 24 hours). You might see if your vet will give you some for her in the morning. Since your vet has just seen her, it shouldn't require a visit, just the meds.
If that isn't enough, your vet might be willing to mix up a narcotic for her, tho if she is in that much pain, you might want to consider having her pts. Please pm me if you need info on how to have that done humanely by your vet.

Until you can get metacam from the vet, you might try acetaminophen. According to Debbie Ducommun's Rat Health Care Booklet, p. 22
"Acetaminophen (Tylenol) - As effective as aspirin. May have anti-inflammatory effects in cases of injury. Overdoses can damage the liver. Dose: 90 - 140 mg/Ib every 4 - 12 hours. Choose the dose according to the severity of the pain and possible length of use, with lower doses for repeated use." Other pain killers can interfere with blood clotting, etc. so don't sound like they would be good to use in your situation.

Another concern, of course, is blood loss.

all the best to you and your little girl
 
She's from SARS right? I remember her coming to you as a place to live her last days, which everyone thought wasn't for long. :(
I can't remember if she's been spayed or not?
Can you tell where the blood is coming from? The urethra or the vagina?
Make sure you don't use an ibuprofen because that can set off bleeding.
I wish I had better advice. :(
 
I personally use metacam for pain especially in those palliative days/months/weeks. If your vet will give it to you thats the best. It takes years to expire and is a very very handy to have around. Its an anti-inflammatory as well.

For metacam the dosing is .1-.2 mg/kg once daily...thats a the low to medium dose for pain.

http://ratguide.com/meds/nsaids/meloxicam.php

You can use Tylenol as SQ says as an OTC treatment for pain. And like Jo said, stay away from Ibuprofen because of the bleeding.

Here is the ratguide on Acetominophen
http://ratguide.com/meds/analgesics/acetaminophen.php

So sorry to hear about Wanda. :(
 
Sorry I haven't thanked you all til now. Wanda has not been spayed and the vet couldn't tell me if the blood was from her vagina or her 'pee place' without xrays and/or ultrasound.
2 episodes in 2 days was pretty frightening. She hasn't had another since I wrote tho. And she really is just fine in between episodes.

Yes, Wanda is from SARS and had a tumor removed in january with a hard recovery. She opened her sutures after 2 wks and had further surgery and apparently has had increasingly frequent bleeding since. She came here on the understanding she would not be put thru any more surgeries but would be spoiled rotten.

I will give her acetominophen when she has further episodes. Thankyou so much for the info & the dosage.

Here's happier stuff - my girl with her cagemate Erin here on the 21st.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G93OE-QaKV4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h95wYpTHD64
 
While acetominophen is probably better than nothing, it is not a very effective pain reliever in rodents.

Perhaps SARS could get you some metacam from one of their veterinarians?
 
Is that true that acetominophen is not very effective for pain for them? :(
If so I will see if I can get some metacam.
 
Just phoned the emergency clinic she was at on sunday. They won't give me metacam without bringing her in and paying the consult again.
I've just given her acetominphen. I do have prednisone here, should I give her some of that too?
I know, I'm not asking anyone to be a vet replacement, I'm just in a desperate immediate situation here.

Ill call my regular vet tomorrow and try to get metacam.......
 
She's ok now. The bleeding's stopped and she's running about normally again instead of laying flat out. Completely contented and perky. Thank god but ?????? I've never encountered anything like this before this thing with Wanda.
 
Glad to hear Wanda has bounced back again. :)

No point giving her pred, since her condition doesn't warrant it, and she would have to go on abs as well because of the depression of the immune system.
 
Yeah, her brother Wilbur had cancer. Her brother Lloyd recently had an internal tumor or cyst that burst (he also had a stroke)....
Her bleeding stopped, but it'll start again. That's sunday, monday and yesterday. :(
 
I wish we had better advice Fidget, it sucks when they come to you to simply pass on. To have one great pit stop before finishing the race.
 
jorats said:
To have one great pit stop before finishing the race.
I don't guess that helps Wanda much but it helped me immensely. I've been frantic but that puts it in perspective.. Thanks Jo.
 
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